1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a container for portable heating equipment and, in particular, to a container that can be used to transport and store portable heating equipment when the equipment is not being used and which is also designed to support at least a portion of the portable heating equipment when it is being used.
2. Description of Related Art
The popularity of outdoor recreation in the United States has grown tremendously in recent years. An ever increasing number of outdoor activities have become more accessible to a greater number of people, resulting in a greater proportion of the general population spending more time in less developed and remote areas of the country. Persons who spend time in such remote areas are commonly referred to as “outdoor enthusiasts.” Outdoor enthusiasts travel to remote areas to engage in recreational activities such as hiking, biking, camping, hunting, rock climbing, and mountain climbing.
This increased interest and participation in outdoor recreation has increased the demand for products that provide some of the comforts of modern living. For instance, portable tents of many shapes and sizes have been manufactured to provide privacy and shelter during camping and overnight excursions to remote outdoor areas. Additionally, products such as folding chairs, compact cooking apparatus, compact showering apparatus, backpacks, and portable food storage devices, such as coolers, enable outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy activities in remote areas while still enjoying some of the necessities or comforts of modern living. As a result, outdoor enthusiasts are seeking more of the modern comforts even during their recreational activities in remote areas.
Outdoor enthusiasts commonly desire to take portable heat sources for use in remote areas during their recreational activities. Various types of devices have been used for many years as portable heat sources, but heat sources that are truly portable and easy to use are not readily available. For example, a common concern for outdoor enthusiasts relates to keeping warm. Without the benefit of temperature-regulated buildings or structures, a person in a remote area is often subject to extreme temperature variations. Mountainous areas are a popular destination outdoor enthusiasts, yet, because of their high elevation, these areas often experience much lower temperatures than are comfortable, especially at night.
Portable heat sources, such as air heaters, are often used to help protect oneself from the low temperatures frequently encountered while in the outdoors and places where other sources of heat, such as electricity, are unavailable. These heaters are used to heat enclosures, such as tents, campers, trailers, tent trailers and the like. Various heaters are available, but they typically have multiple pieces, are awkward to carry and are not very “portable”.
Another type of portable heat source, such as portable water heaters, is often used by outdoor enthusiasts to provide hot water for cooking and showering. Portable water heaters are desirable because outdoor enthusiasts that previously wanted hot water often had to use a cook stove or camp fire to heat a container of water, and that required a significant amount of time. For example, a camp fire or cook stove may take fifteen to twenty minutes, or more, to heat a gallon of water.
Portable heat sources, such as showers and hot water heaters or heaters for enclosed spaces such as tents, campers and the like, can be used in a variety of situations and locations. These portable heat sources have been used for many years, but are often not truly “portable.” For example, these heat sources usually have multiple pieces and attachments which are necessary for use. These pieces and attachments are often easily lost, and are difficult to keep together so that all the pieces and attachments are accounted for when needed to operate the heat source.
In particular, conventional portable showers are often not truly portable because they are heavy, awkward to carry, and include a plurality of parts. For example, conventional portable showers often include a large housing that is divided into a number of compartments. One compartment is a large, watertight container that is used to hold the water for the shower, and the other compartments are used to hold various pieces of equipment such as a pump, power source, heat source, fuel for the heat source, hose, showerhead, etc. As a result, many of the conventional portable showers are not truly portable because they are heavy, large and awkward to move because the large water compartment is an integral part of the device, but separate from the compartments for storing the pump, power source, heat source, etc.
Portable showers with water containers that are not an integral part of the device are also known, but these water containers are not truly portable because they too are heavy and awkward. These portable showers use water containers to hold the water while the water is being heated. In particular, these types of known devices require the water container to be constructed from metal to allow heat to be transferred from the heat source to the water. Disadvantageously, metal water containers are heavy and often expensive to manufacture because of their customized shape. Such metal water containers are often made using thin sheets of metal in an attempt to minimize the weight of the container. However, the thin metal of these water containers is often easily damaged because it can be dented and disfigured, and metal water containers in general often rust or corrode over time. Further, these metal water containers are typically either large and, therefore, too heavy to be truly portable, or so small that the container cannot hold enough water sufficient for a shower. Further, these conventional portable showers often do not provide adequate hot water because, in an attempt to keep such showers lightweight and portable, the water containers are too small to hold a sufficient amount of water for use as a shower.
In a further attempt to keep these conventional water heaters portable, conventional portable water heaters typically have relatively small heat sources. However, these conventional portable showers also require all the water in the container to be heated before the device can be used as a shower. Thus, depending upon the size of the heat source and the size of the container, it can take up to thirty minutes or more to heat the water for a hot shower. Therefore, the size of the water container is further limited by the ability of the heat source to heat the container of water within an acceptable time frame. Disadvantageously, the heated water in the container, which is generally poorly insulated or not insulated at all, is constantly losing heat. This heat loss increases the time required to heat the water for a hot shower, further limiting the size of the water container. Therefore, the size of the water containers used in conventional portable showers is often limited in order to decrease the size and weight of the device and to decrease the time required to heat the water before use for showering.
Another problem with existing portable heating equipment is that when they are being used in a remote area, there often is not a convenient, flat surface to set up the fuel source and activate the portable heating equipment. If a place is chosen to set up the portable heating equipment that is not sufficiently flat or protected, the fuel source and even the whole heat source may tip over. This can potentially be very dangerous fire hazard. In addition to just the danger of burning the user, there is also the risk of starting the environment, tent, trailer or other structure on fire.